Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
No sooner had the thought registered and I began to move away from the bed than the balcony door slid open, sending my plan for a stealthy escape up in flames.
The thick drapes parted and a man in a fitted button-down stepped from behind them, a suit jacket draped over one of his forearms. We both froze at the sight of one another, him clearly not expecting anyone to be in his room and me fumbling for my best customer service smile.
I could smell his cologne from where I stood, belatedly realizing the aroma had been lingering in the air since I walked into this suite. It was the same one I’d smelled on the man I’d nearly run into down in the lobby. I managed a smile that I hoped looked genial, struggling to keep my eyes trained on his face.
I prayed the sudden rush of heat in my cheeks wasn’t broadcasting how insanely attractive I found him, like some cliché anime schoolgirl. Was this one of the men Anya had seen downstairs? I couldn’t imagine many scenarios where she wouldn’t notice someone who looked like this.
He was so good looking that it was actually a bit…unsettling. His golden-brown skin was a shade or two darker than my own. His nose perfectly centered. Cleft chin. Angular cheek bones and chiseled jawline framed by freshly shaven stubble. A head of healthy jet-black hair tapered at his nape and curled slightly behind his ears.
It was as if Augusta Savage herself had sculpted him, ensuring he was close to perfect, but not without flaws. There was a scar on the right side of his face. The only mark on otherwise flawless skin.
It started near the edge of his brow and extended a good three to four inches down. It had faded with time and added a subtle savagery to his beauty. His eyes were something to behold on their own. They reminded me of imperial topaz. I became tongue-tied in the few seconds it took to look him over from head to toe.
Fortunately, working in the retail and service industry since I was old enough to have a permit saved me from remaining an incompetent, speechless idiot.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone had checked in yet,” I explained, offering a tentative smile.
“I told the front desk not to worry about the pleasantries,” he replied, his cultured voice deep and a touch gravelly.
“I think there may have been a mix-up with everything going on.”
“You think?” he repeated, clearly not pleased with that explanation.
“Sorry,” I apologized again for lack of better response.
“Why are you apologizing when you’re not the one who couldn’t follow simple instructions?”
I found myself at a loss for words again, but at least this time it was for a sensible reason.
I didn’t think this was that big of a deal, but I also wasn’t wealthy enough to afford a single night in the suite he’d chosen. I couldn’t afford this room for a few hours without parting with a chunk of my soul. He looked from the bed and then back to me as he reached behind him to pull the balcony door shut.
“Have you finished then?”
Oh, I guess I had just been standing here like I wasn’t sure what to do. “Um, yes. I’ll be on my way now. If you need anything, the phone on the nightstand can connect you to the front desk. Just dial two.” I turned away from him and retrieved my trolley.
“Wait.”
His softly spoken command carried clearer than any shout, sending a trickle of apprehension down my back. I plastered on a smile that put my dimples on full display and turned around.
“Yes?”
He retrieved something from his rear pocket—a wallet—and flipped it open, removing a few crisp bills. “Is this enough?” he asked, extending them towards me.
Eyeing the money with confusion, I couldn’t help but notice how large his hands were, and the thick metal band on his ring finger. Unsurprisingly, he was married. “What’s that for?”
“Your tip.”
I shook my head and reached for my trolley again. “Thank you, but I can’t accept that.”
“After coming in here unannounced, I think it’s the least you could do.”
Excuse me? What kind of backwards logic was that? I turned towards him once more, failing to suppress a frown. He stared back at me with an inscrutable expression. I struggled not to shift beneath the unexpected weight of it.
For as large as this suite was, with him inside it might as well have been a shoebox.
I was rescued from having to deal with this further when a beep came from the door. The man who appeared in the doorway half a second later was almost as attractive as the one who now stood behind me.
His dark, almost chestnut-hued hair was styled in a carefree manner, suggesting he often ran his fingers through it. His face was sharply chiseled, revealing high cheekbones and a squared jaw that had a smattering of stubble. When he saw me, whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips. He stepped into the room and looked at the man behind me with a roguish smile.